


Collection of Drabbles & Short one-shots (ft. my Manips!)

by Starryar (Breadmione)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Behind the Scenes, Drabble Collection, Dramione is the main pairing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fix-It, Forced Marriage, Hurt/Comfort, Ministry Coworkers, Ministry of Magic Employee Draco Malfoy, Ministry of Magic Employee Hermione Granger, Pictures, Promptis Week, Self Prompt, Side pairings may appear - Freeform, marriage law
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:13:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23437492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breadmione/pseuds/Starryar
Summary: This is just a collection of drabbles that I have made. Some if not all will have manips that I have created.I use Procreate for the iPad to edit.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 50
Kudos: 51





	1. The Closet

Hermione fidgeted with the half up do Draco’s hairstylist insisted she wear, not sure if she wanted to tear the pins out or to leave it be. Her scalp ached and felt irritated with the extra attention it had gotten over the past hour from the massaging, the rinsing and the pulling. Hermione never did anything more than brush it and put it in a bun, so she decided with a final touch to the side of her head to just leave it alone, focusing on the dress she wore.

Hermione had expected that the dress was to be picked up by another hired stylist of Draco’s, but she found out that it was actually he who picked it out after having her measured. She thought back to the memory of him presenting it to her, and how she objected when she saw how open the back was, reassuring her she would not be wearing a bra for an evening:

_“This dress isn’t me at all! I reckon I’ll look like a high end call girl.” She ran a hand down the satin material and could feel a flush form in her cheeks as she thought of how she would look wearing it._

  
_Draco had raised a pale, but mocking eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to make him jealous? Is that not why we’re going to the newest and most luxurious restaurant that is bound to be crawling with roaches like Rita Skeeter?”_

  
_She looked up from what she thought was an intimidating dress. “Well, yes but-“_

  
_“Then you shouldn’t look like you. You should look like you’re mine.”_

  
_Hermione had blinked at him before a smile crept on to her face. Her nervousness was slowly giving way to excitement when she thought about what Ron’s face would look like when he saw the papers tomorrow. Draco after Hogwarts was much more likable, she found. He was still vindictive when he wanted to be, but she was no longer at the receiving end of his wrath. He was cunning, witty and the looks he sometimes gave her like the one he was giving her now-_

She shook her head as if to erased the thoughts she was having. _There wasn’t a look, my imagination is going wild._ She was so focused in the daydream of her memory that didn’t realize Draco was behind her, watching her. “Oh!” She turned around to see him wearing a suit with material that complimented her dress, hands tucked into his pockets.

“You look stunning.” His eyes gave her a slow once over and she felt a low pull in her stomach at how ravishing he looked in his fitted, formal attire.  
She cleared her throat to recover as she walked towards him. “Tell me, do I look like I’m yours, Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco liked the way she said that more than he would care to admit out loud, and discreetly licked the bottom of his lip before speaking. “Draco. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if to hear us calling each other by our surnames.” He gulped and realized his heart was beating too fast as he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. “And we ought to get going now. Rita Skeeter won’t write anything nice if we’re late.”

He expected Hermione to walk over so they could apparate to the restaurant, but instead she gave a hearty laugh. He looked up at her and tilted his head to the side in question.

She waved a hand as she calmed herself into a soft giggle. “Oh, she won’t publish anything I don’t want her to.” Hermione glanced back at the mirror, taking in how she looked from behind before they left. She looked good, but most of all she felt good. Almost like this would be a real date instead of them faking a relationship for their own gains. Hemrione looked back at him with a huge smile on her face before she walked over to lace an arm around his. “Now that we’re acquainted _Draco_ , allow me to tell you about the time I caught this rather annoying beetle...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connect with my on Social Media!
> 
> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StarryarWrites
> 
> Tumblr: Starryar.Tumblr.Com
> 
> FanFiction.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~starryar


	2. A Date for Two Heads

“You’re staring again.” Pansy Parkinson said with a frown that was deep enough to cause a dimple to appear in her chin.

“Huh?” Draco turned from looking over his shoulder and dropped the hand he was resting his chin on to look down at his long time Slytherin friend who was seated at her desk outside his office. “Why yes, I suppose I am.” He couldn’t help it. Today, Hermione Granger seemed to have been bending the Ministry rules she seemed to stick so close to by wearing a strapless, sweetheart neckline blouse. Of course she wore a blazer with it, but she currently had it draped over her forearm as she seemed to be heading out for lunch, but had stopped to speak to a colleague.

“Just shag Granger already and get your little fixation over with.” She waved a heavily ringed, yet impatient hand at him before returning to her clipboard. Pansy was not just his best friend, but his secretary as he was Head of the Department for the Removal of Curses, Jinxes, and Hexes.

He gave a grunt as he glanced back at the Gryffindor Princess- currently known around the Ministry as the Head of Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. “If it was just about shagging her I- Wait.” Draco stood up to his full height and shoved his hands in hit deep blue pant’s pockets. “Is that what you do? You just ‘screw’ whatever girl tickles your fancy and just leave them?” When Pansy didn’t answer nor look up from the files she was flipping through on her clipboard, he pinched the bridge of his nose, counting down from ten. “Pans, do you realize how many employees I had to replace because of you? Cheryl, Samantha, Clara-“

“But I always hire the next one for you!” Pansy looked up at him with her arms crossed over her chest. “You hardly do the replacing! And I didn’t screw Sam until _after_ she quit.”  
The sound of heels were approaching them, but Draco barely processed the sound. “I do the paperwork and- please for the love of Merlin - do not tell me you’ve deliberately been hiring women you’ve been interested in-“

“No! I wouldn’t abuse my position like that!... Much...” Pansy added quietly with a nervous glance cast behind him, but he was determined not to let her distract him from properly telling her she needed to clean up her act. He had worked too hard over the past four years to get where he was. He refused to use any of his father’s connections to get to his position within the Ministry and was constantly jumping through hoops to keep it. The last thing he needed was for a scandal of one of his subordinates and closest friends ruining it for him. “Drac-“

“No! Pans-“ He rubbed his face knowing he had just yelled and was attracting the attention of others. “Let’s finish this in my-“

“Ahem.” Draco turned to find the source of the clacking heels was standing right behind him, causing him to regret fixing a glower on his face before turning around.

“Good afternoon, Granger. You know, for a second I thought you were Umbridge.” Draco could feel his his foot lodging in his throat and he thought his arm twitched at the thought of Avada-ing himself on the spot for what he had said.

Hermione raised her eyebrows looking up at him and opened her mouth to say something, but Pansy cut her off. “Not Dolores Umbridge, Miss Granger. He means Lyra Umbridge-Malfoy. She’s a great, great, great aunt to Draco.”

Pansy gave Hermione her best shit-eating grin and Draco could only manage a nod when Hermione looked at him for confirmation. His strife with Pansy forgotten and, temporarily forgiven with the lie she provided. “Well that’s good.” She gave a small laugh. “I know I’ve always struggled with being personable, but I would need a serious re-evaluation if I even remotely reminded anyone of Umbridge.”

Draco and pansy joined in on the laughter- albeit nervous laughter from them both. “I was actually wondering if you had that file ready for me? The one for the Gorgon’s cursed jewels?” Draco could have sworn he got lost into Hermione’s hazel eyes every time he had to make eye contact with her. The greens and browns hypnotized him, swirling together to promise him things he had only dreamed of happening with her. Because of the few times he nearly made himself look like a drooling baboon by staring at her, he made it a habit to look at the bridge of her delicate nose when speaking to her. Draco opened his mouth to talk, but Pansy interrupted him.

“He does have it ready, but I believe Draco mentioned he wanted to discuss the details of it with you over lunch.” Draco looked down at Pansy, his eyes as wide as galleons. Her only response was placing her stiletto heel over his foot and digging it into where his toes joined the rest of his foot. Causing others pain was her way of daring them to defy her, and Draco had only defied her when she did this once. Since then, he remembered to never do it again.

Finding himself between a rock and a hard place, he complied. “Yes, there’s some small details I wanted to go over, more to make sure all protocols are followed so my team won’t intervene too much with yours.”

Hermione placed a hand on the back of her neck and seemed to jump at the realization that she wasn’t wearing the blazer inside the Ministry’s walls. She quickly slipped it on and Draco would have been disappointed for the cover up if he didn’t find her to look great in anything she wore. “Actually I just came back from lunch.” Pansy was taken off guard at the gentle denial to the point that Draco was able to free his foot from under hers. His fists started to clench from the embarrassment when Hermione continued, “How about dinner though? At my place so we don’t have to take the files anywhere public.”

For a moment, he imagined that his brain flat-lined before going into overdrive. Much to his relief, he was able to find words and not sound like an idiot. “That’s brilliant.”  
She started to walk away before throwing a glance over her shoulder with a coy smile. “I’ll send one of my interdepartmental memos with a time for you to come by.” And with that, she disappeared.

“Hex me if that didn’t happen.” Draco ran a hand through his hair and looked at Pansy who wore a devilish smile. She didn’t need to speak for her message to be clear: I told you to listen to me more. It was an argument they had many times, one where he hated that he already accepted defeat against, but would never admit it out loud. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“What? My look only says you should have been listening to me in the first place considering that I get more action that you, Theo and Blaise combined.”

“Not this again-“

“You’re right, not now anyway. You have to go home and get ready for your date with the love of your life.” Pansy looked up at Draco innocently and he gave an indignant scoff.  
“She’s not the love of my life.”

“Well it’s either she’s going to be the love of your life or the shag of your life with how much you seem to fancy her- so I recommend you pick one.” Pansy returned to her usual impatient demeanor and had a hard look on her face.

He gently pursed his lips, weighing what she had said. “Right. I’ll see you Monday, Pans.” He patted her on the shoulder and walked off with a pep in his step, already mentally rummaging through his closet on what he should wear.

“That’s not an answer, Draco! AND DON’T FORGET THE FILE!”

He laughed as he turned to head back into his office. Draco wasn’t sure where tonight was going with Hermione, but whatever happened, he knew he didn’t want to be late for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StarryarWrites
> 
> Tumblr: Starryar.Tumblr.Com
> 
> FanFiction.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~starryar


	3. Auror Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a drabble I plan on using in an auror fic I am mapping out. I don't have a pretty for this, but please enjoy.

“Why are you doing this?” Draco asks as he looks up at Hermione, throat hoarse, eyes watery and nose completely red from using a handkerchief all day.

“You’re my partner and I need you back at work asap.” She continued to rub the Camphor, Eucalyptus oil, and Menthol ointment on to his chest without pause. She was trying not to focus on how firm his chest felt underneath her soft fingers. This was her partner- Malfoy of all people- and Hermione wouldn’t let anything compromise the professional relationship she worked hard on the past three years.

“So you’re not using this as an attempt to feel me up? You could’ve just asked, you know.”

Her hands immediately stopped this time as she looked into his eyes. He was trying to suppress a smile, but seeing her startled face sent him into a laugh that ended with a coughing fit. At the end of it, he wore a grimace and pointed to the waste basket he had by him on the couch.

She used her wrists to lift the basket up to his face and he spat whatever phlegm he coughed up into it. “Serves you right.” Hermione said, failing to suppress a smile of her own. Instant karma is the best karma.

“Sod off.” Draco grumbled, but there was no venom in it.

“Flip over.” She dipped her hand into the jar for more of the ointment as he gave her another cheeky look.

“I don’t like bum stuff, Granger.” He tried to get his voice as smooth as possible and Hermione hated she had to fight off the shiver she had when it worked. The husky, hoarse voice was something any woman could appreciate- even when it was from a man being sick.

“I ought to report you to Kingsley, you know.”

Draco flipped over smiling. “That’s Minister Kingsley- And you won’t- ahh! Witch!”

Hermione flicked the cold ointment on to his back and grinned from her victory of catching him off guard. It was odd that they never called each other by their first names, but had pet names for each other. She called him ‘Ferret’ for obvious fourth year reasons, and he called her ‘Witch’ after the time she drunkenly told him about the Golden Trio’s sorcerer stone adventure. “I won’t.”

Hermione allowed her hands to work over his back which seemed just as glorious as his chest. There were scars, from work she presumed, but it just made it all the more alluring that Draco wasn’t as perfect as he made himself to be. 

She hadn’t realized she fell into a trance where she was massaging his back until he gave a low groan that caused a gentle pull in her belly. “Oh, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean-“ She pulled her hands away and reached for a cloth to wipe off the ointment.

“No, you’re fine. That area is particularly sore.” Both were silent, as Hermione was trying to get the blush off of her face before Draco saw and Draco was hoping she would continue massaging him again. When she didn’t, he lifted his head and glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Could you... could you keep going?” His voice was soft and he quickly looked away, hating himself for feeling needy for her touch.

She gave a quick nod and continued. Working her fingers into his sinewy back, especially in the spot he said was sore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/StarryarWrites
> 
> Tumblr: Starryar.Tumblr.Com
> 
> FanFiction.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~starryar


	4. Marriage Law / DFFR 2.0 Prompt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One week into returning back to school for 8th year and all of Hogwarts is hit with a new law: A Marriage law.  
> Naturally, this will not sit well with our Gryffindor Princess, but what do her soon to be step-parents have to say about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! The marriage law drabble is something I have had sitting in my folder for a while now, but I felt inspired to finish it when [Shamione](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamione/pseuds/Shamione) posted in a Facebook group we mod for (Dramione Fanfiction Recommendations 2.0) posted this Drabble prompt!  
> This is a gift for her, but I do hope you'll enjoy it!

"Minister, there has to be a mistake." Narcissa's voice was gentle, but there was an edge of desperation in it. Narcissa was the one who did the talking now-a-days even though Lucius was far better at it. However, Narcissa's story on saving Harry Potter was well known across all of Wizard Britain while Lucius was shoved to the side - a constant reminder of a master the family once served.

Minister Shacklebolt simply stood behind Headmistress McGonagall's desk, looking completely unperturbed that Narcissa and Lucius were practically begging him not to allow their son be forced to marry. They were the one pair out of the many unhappy parents complaining to him about the marriage law he and the Wizgamont, were enforcing on all of Wizarding London. Draco narrowed his eyes, completely annoyed by his parents. _After everything, they still find her beneath us_. He didn't see being engaged to Granger as a downgrade- in-fact he thought that he was marrying up, all things considered. "There has been no mistake, Mrs. Malfoy. A lot of thought has gone into pairing-"

Shacklebolt stopped talking when he heard the loud banging sound of the staircase shifting, followed by the Headmistress' door opening. Draco watched Headmistress McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt exchange an uneasy glance which only confirmed Draco's earlier suspicions that the Malfoys had interrupted a quite escape. Draco turned around, wondering who had the Minister on the run, to see his now fiancée marching towards them, with a very sorry looking Potter chasing after her.

"Kingsley-"

"Miss Granger, you should show your respect to our Minister-" McGonagall started, but Shacklebolt held up a hand, nodding to show that he was fine with how Hermione had addressed him.

Hermione didn't start talking again until she was standing with her thighs barely touching the edge of McGonagall's desk, shoulders back with her chin held high. She spoke to Shacklebolt as if no one else was in the room, leaving all three Malfoy's in shock at her blatant disregard for someone of such a high title being in the room. "Kingsley, may I be frank?"

"Of course, Hermione."

"You can call me Miss Granger if you think that I spent three-hundred-and-forty-four days out of a year on the run from Voldemort-" Everyone but her and Kingley flinched- "So I could come back to an arranged marriage where I will have five years to pop out children, I had no intention of having until I had an established title at the Ministry."

"Miss Granger, you can't talk to the Minister-" McGonagall started again, but before Shacklebolt could get his hand up to stop her, Hermione cut in a second time.

"The bloody hell I can't!" Hermione shifted her weight on to her right leg and lifted a pointed finger to help enunciate her next sentence. "I fought for freedom, Kingsley. If I wanted to be treated and bred like cattle I would have let the other bloke win."

" _Miss Granger_." It was the first time since Draco and his parents entered the office that Shacklebolt had shown anything other than boredom when speaking. His voice fluctuated with anger as he sized up the eighth year student before him. "Are you comparing me to Voldemort?" Draco glanced at his parents hearing the name repeated once more. The name of the man- No- The _monster_ that haunted them for years. Lucius had his head hung low as he stared at the ground and Narcissa had twisted the Dragon hide gloves she held in her hands - a nervous habit she had yet to squash.

 _This_ was the mild side effects people had from the war, nervous tics from a woman who would have otherwise been the definition of poised. A diminished aristocrat who used to hold the world by their galleon lined pocket.

Hermione made a point not to answer the question. "The methods that the Ministry has shown thus far in handling the war has been questionable at best-"

"And you think how you have handle the war has not had wizards doubting you or the Ministry?" For the first time since storming into the room, Hermione acknowledged the Malfoys by sparing them a glance. The Minister didn't need to elaborate on what he meant. She and Harry had testified for the Malfoys and the _The Daily Prophet_ had a field day over it. They were supposed to be the new face of the Ministry and the fact they sided with known Death Eaters in the inner circle left some wizards _miffed_ , to say the least.

"This is not just to have our numbers in wizards brought back up, Miss Granger." Dumbledore's portrait spoke up from behind McGonagall and she stepped to the side to allow everyone to get a look at him. "This is to help those who are not so quick to be forgiven in the war, to be seen in a positive light. You didn't testify for Draco for fun, did you?" Draco didn't know it was more possible for Hermione's face to turn red, but now it was a proper puce- a color he thought that only the Weasel could manage.

Despite the tension in the air, Draco found his mouth moving before he could stop himself. "Minister, you said that a lot of thought had gone into the pairing, was Dumbledore a part of this process?" Draco thought it was stupid to ask in the middle of the argument, but at the same time, he was still riddled with guilt over the former headmaster's death and wanted to know if Dumbledore - even if it was just a silly portrait that was only a fraction of a great wizard - didn't hate him.

The room became silent and the tension seemed to double before Dumbledore spoke again. "It was actually my suggestion that you be paired with Mr. Malfoy."

"You can't be bloody serious, you let a _portrait_ decide Draco's fate?" Lucius was on his feet asking the question, automatically warranting a hand on his shoulder from his wife in an attempt at silently warning him. "This is ridiculous -"

"What's ridiculous is that you're still holding on to blood prejudice when, Hermione, had saved you all from Azkaban-" Shacklebolt took a step closer to Lucius, placing him in front of McGonagall.

"ENOUGH!" Hermione's voice echoed off the walls and the rest of the portraits in the office could no longer pretend that they weren't listening in on the conversation. "Mr. Malfoy is right!"

Every set of eyes, portraits included, stared at Hermione. No one even moved until the crashing sound from a tea set that Nebulus Black dropped broke the silence. He started to pick up the pieces before glancing up at the wizards who simply stared at him. "Well don't let _me_ disrupt anything." He continued to clean up the pieces and Draco thought he saw the faintest traces of a smirk on his lips.

"Lucius is right to be upset! You let a portrait of a man who could easily be pinned to have part in the genocide you want to rebuild the community from." McGonagall looked stricken to the point she was at a loss for words herself hearing what Hermione was saying. "From the day Harry and I got off the train to the day Dumbledore died, he treated Harry like he was a piece of meat." Hermione's voice shook and her hair seemed to crackle as she continued to speak. "If he would have outright _told_ Harry about Voldemort and the prophecy-" The glass on McGonagall's desk rattled as her magic started to disrupt the air around them in ripples. Hermione took a deep breath before continuing in a deathly calm voice. "Harry and I have already helped put them in a positive light. Why do I need to marry and bare children to continue to prove my worth in a war that's already done?"

Everyone was at a loss for words, and when the silence was broken, no one expected it to be Draco.

"Is marrying me such a terrible fate?" Even after all heads snapped to his attention, Harry's included, Hermione still didn't look at him. "You heard my testimony under veritaserum. You know how sorry I am and I would take it all back if I could." Hermione's profile became more visible to him as she looked over her shoulder at him. "I can't though... And while you don't deserved to be forced into a marriage, especially after everything you've done, there isn't anything I wouldn't do to stop you from being happy as a Malfoy."

Draco's voice was soft when he spoke, but the last word had her whip around as if he had slapped her. He expected to see anger on her face, but instead, he saw conflict and confusion. It didn't last long before the look was replaced with a stern look as she gave him a once over. " _Granger_ -Malfoy." She corrected before her furious glare back as she held a finger in-front of her at the Minister. "And that's _if_ I can't get your bloody title stripped! First week of term and _this_ is what I return to." Hermione gave a cautious glance at Draco before she grabbed Harry by his arm to drag him out of the office.

Draco thought he heard her say something by the Library, but forgot about her grumbling as soon as his father spoke in an approving tone. " _Granger-Malfoy_ , I think not. There has never been a Malfoy with a hyphenated name, and it won't start with her when you've married."


	5. Fantastic Strains and Where to Smoke Them/ DFFR 2.0 Prompt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Drug use (Pot)
> 
> This week's prompt was Literacy Day! I hope you enjoy! Thank you again [Shamione](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamione/pseuds/Shamione) for acting as a muse!
> 
> Happy Literacy Day, enjoy!

Hermione lifted the cigarette to her lips as she read her book. Generally, it was a rule never to smoke while reading in the event she damaged the precious tome, but today was an exception. It took her everything she had not to chicken out on following the would-be yearly ritual she shared with Fred and George, but even after getting herself up here, she still called herself a coward. Her birthday, which was the day the tradition should have been held on, was still eleven days away - not today. She bit her lip as she remembered the memory of her smoking for the first time.

The first time, and the last time.

_"Honestly, why is my birthday gift up here and not down there?"_

_"Because this is a happy place, that's why!" George lead her and Fred up the stairs of the empty Quidditch Stadium. "We were going to sneak you up the Astronomy tower, but we thought that this would be better for your nerves."_

Well you were wrong. _Hermione wanted to shoot back, but she continued her ascent in begrudged silence. The empty wooden towers leading up to the seats seemed to sway in the light breeze and made noises that made Hermione's stomach twist. The twins always had a soft spot for her as she was one of the few who bothered to learn how to tell them apart, but that didn't mean they wouldn't pick on her for being a coward. It wasn't so much as a fear to be teased now that she was in sixth year, but it was definitely an annoyance._

_When they got to the top of the Quidditch pitch, the timer had started on the sunset. That was when Fred had pulled out his "party favor": A single rolled blunt._

_Hermione nearly pulled out every last curl the Slytherins teased her for when she saw it. They let her scream and lecture them about the negative effects of drugs until she was satisfied._ That was the only part of the memory that she regretted till this day.

 _When she was done, Fred gave her_ that _look. The look that he knew she was slightly curious about marijuana, as she was with all things, and that he wouldn't put her on the wrong path. This wasn't the first time she had an adventure with the twins, and she had hoped it wasn't going to be their last, but Voldemort had other plans that year. "Hermione, I think you need it more than we do."_

_"I don't need to use drugs as a crutch, you know! I thought you two were better than that! You're supposed to be starting a business-"_

_"Hey now, who said we were dependent?" George had his arms crossed over his chest with a smirk on his lips. "We only do it once a year, on our birthdays, but we wanted to do it with you this year."_

_That set off an alarm in Hermione's head and she copied George's stance, but without the smirk. "Why?"_

_George had always been the one to slip up when being caught off guard and his reaction to her question was no exception. He tried to cover it up with a glance at Fred, but Fred seemed to be all business. "We're thinking about dropping out." He answered honestly.  
_

_"Wot-" Fred held up a hand to stop her._

_"We already heard it once before. If you don't want to smoke with us, that's fine." Fred put the rolled up paper in his mouth and lit the tip with his wand. When he blew the smoke out, her nose wrinkled at the sweet bitterness of it. "But I'd be a shame not to share one last adventure with you before we go. I even brought you a book you might like."_

_When he pulled the book out from his robes she looked at him with confusion. "Babbity Rabbity? Isn't that a children's book?"_

_Fred glanced at George with a grin. "Told you she hasn't read it before - you owe me a galleon." George groaned before searching in his pocket for the gold. "It'll all make sense if you took a drag of this." Fred held the blunt out to her._ It'll ruin your teeth, _s_ _he reminded herself._ Your parents would be extremely disappointed. _She bit her lip and shifted her weight on to one foot as she contemplated it. She glanced between George and Fred, both of them staring at her with bated breath. She knew they would never let her do anything terribly unsafe, and if she were to refuse, they would no longer pressure her about it._

_That didn't mean she was going to back down though. "All right." She gently took Fred's offering and tried to hold just how he had. "How do- How do I do this?"_

_This time it was George to give his brother a smirk, and tucked the galleon he finally fished out of his pocket away. "Guess I'll be keeping this then."_

Hermione let out a sigh and flung the half smoked cigarette off the ledge of Astronomy tower. _It's just not the same._ A stray tear hit the page she was on in Babbity Rabbity. It was the same book they gifted her with that day, but the charm that had been placed on it had died with Fred. "God dammit, Fred-"

"Breaking in to Astronomy tower, smoking on school grounds _and_ littering by Girl Wonder? I've seen it all now."

Hermione would have recognized the drawling voice anywhere. "What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"I could ask you the same." His voice still had a drawl to it, but she noticed ever since they returned for their eighth year, that there was something missing. Only recently did she realize it was the malice of his words that were now gone. Hermione thought it was good that the Malfoys had finally been humbled. "This place... People avoid it. They haven't held any classes here since the year before last."

 _I wonder why_. She narrowed her eyes at him and once again bit back her retort like she had for the twins so long ago. She closed her book and attempted to brush past him as she left the tower, but he caught her arm.

"I won't tell anyone. I just- I think I get why you come up here and... I may be the last person you'd want to talk to-"

"I'm just celebrating National Literacy Day, it's not that deep, Malfoy." Hermione saw him fidget and his mouth start to move again, but she didn't really hear anything he said next as she was now too focused on a scent that had finally hit her. The scent that was both flowery and sour. _How-_ And then she saw it. A single spliff tucked behind Malfoy's ear.

Before Hermione could stop herself, she reached up and snatched it from his ear. "Seriously?"

Malfoy paled. "Granger-" He was already walking on thin ice with the Ministry and could only imagine the grief his mother would have to go through if she heard her son was expelled for drugs.

Hermione however, had started hysterically laughing. It wasn't directly aimed at him, although she did find it amusing that blood purist Draco _Lucius_ Malfoy had resorted to muggle drugs, but just the situation as a whole.

"I can't- I can't-" Before she even realized what she was doing, she had placed it between her lips and used the tip of her finger to light the end of it wandlessly. She coughed as she exhaled and in a very odd way, seemed to sober up: She was on Astronomy tower, with Draco Malfoy whom she had just technically stolen drugs from.

"Sorry," She was suddenly embarrassed. She took another drag before offering it back to him. "I won't tell anyone either. Obviously." Hermione wanted to run. Run all the way back and enjoy the little high she was going to get in solitude, so she could forget this exchange had even happened.

Draco was gobsmacked and did a double take between her and the joint. He felt the heat of a blush creeping up his neck as it was his turn to be embarrassed. "I- uh- actually don't know how. Astoria gave it to me and..." Hermione's eyes widened and her eyebrows nearly reached her hairline. "Can you show me? And if you still want to leave after, you can."

Hermione found herself giving him a small and slightly bashful half smile before walking back to the edge of Astronomy tower where she stood before. She gave him the same instructions Fred had before and by the time he had went into a fit of coughing with his second drag, her eyes had reddened while a grin was plastered on her face.

"Does it always burn your throat?" Passing the joint back to her, he finally spotted the title of the book she was reading. "Celebrating National Literacy day with Babbity Rabbity? Isn't that a blood- Er, children's book?" His hands started to fidget and he didn't look at her, knowing he may have ruined the small truce they silently might have made.

Hermione knew the history of Babbity Rabbity due to Dumbledore leaving her the original version in his will, but simply decided to shrug a shoulder. She ran a hand over the book, fond of the pre-war memory it held for her. "It was rewritten to keep all of that stuff out. I've read the original text though, so I know where you're coming from." He nodded, but didn't reply. The silence was too much for her after that and she found herself experiencing word vomit. "I've only ever smoked once before. It was with Fred and George. They brought me to the Quidditch pitch because they thought I would be too paranoid to come up here. The book was a gift." Her fingers tapped the cover and she had an idea. Hermione was confident she could replicate the charms, and while she used to hate the git, she thought maybe Draco would appreciate it the way she had. "Fred... Placed a charm on it. It was enchanted so I had to read the book from start to finish, but the words..." She let out a small laugh. "Well, they seemed to come to life, especially when high. Did you want to read it?"

Malfoy had always looked immaculate, so Hermione found it very interesting to see his sharp features relax under the influence of marijuana. For once she thought she was seeing him with his guard completely down, and it was almost startling, even in her altered state. _He's actually quite handsome_. Hermione didn't mind that she was staring at him openly now, and when he gave her a kind smile, she felt her face heat up with her blush. "Sure."

Hermione grabbed the book and turned around, not wanting him to see what she was doing. The spell work was difficult, but the odd thing about smoking was that she found focusing to be even easier than if she was sober - not that she struggled with that at all. When she was done, she faced him before sitting on the floor, back pressed against the balcony. Draco paused, but then joined her after a moment. He kept his distance, but between her excitement on no longer having to honor her fallen friend alone, and her Gryffindor bravery, she scooted over so her arm was pressed against his.

She placed the book between them so it was half on her lap and half on his. When Hermione opened the book, she felt the pull of magic forcing her to keep her eyes on the pages as the words came together to tell the tale of Babbity Rabbity in the form of moving calligrammes. "He was brilliant, wasn't he?"

Hermione felt her eyes tear up for the second time that day at Draco's question. She was waiting for this moment - the moment when she truly mourned Fred - and a seemingly distant, more sober part of her didn't want it to happen in front of Draco. Her current, stoned self could hardly give a damn though, and was grateful for him. "He really was." The page flipped on it's own as they watched Babbity race all over the page. "Happy Literacy Day, Draco."

If Draco would have been able to pull his eyes away from the text, he would have looked at her. Since he couldn't, he settled with leaning into her just an inch more, allowing himself to relax against the one person he thought he stilled owed an apology too. He wasn't an idiot, he knew this day and place wasn't just about a National holiday that didn't even rank as high as Arbor Day did, but he thought it was only right to amuse Hermione in her grief. "Happy Literacy Day... Hermione."


	6. Hope and Quaffles / DFFR 2.0 Prompt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Quidditch
> 
> Thanks again to Shamione for giving our FB this lovely prompt. It was what I needed to stretch my fingers for the week.

Hermione paced in the middle of the Head boy and Head girl dormitory, not carrying she was likely going to cause a rut in the ground to form.

 _I just_ had _to let Ginny get under my skin. I had_ _to tell her I was willing to bet on_ anything _that I was right._ Her hair curled in on itself and crackled in time with the waves of anger rolling off of her. _And_ of course _she chose the one thing I wasn't good at. She knows I hate flying!_ Hermione supposed that was the point though, Ron wasn't the _only_ great strategist Molly Weasley had birthed.

The portrait door swung open and Draco Malfoy, eighth year head boy, stepped in. He looked up at her, but said nothing as he started to walk towards his side of the dorm that lead to his room. He hadn't tried to talk to her nearly all year unless it had to do with his duties as Head boy, but that was just how Malfoy was this year: Silent and wanting to stay out of everyone's way.

 _Well, not tonight._ Hermione decided. "Draco? May I talk to you?"

Draco slowly turned around, cautiously as she had used his given name instead of his surname. He hadn't missed how carefully she enunciated the consonants and vowels in his name, cluing him in that she had practiced the conversation that she wanted to have. "You can call me 'Malfoy', Granger. I'm sure it's much easier for you."

Hermione took a deep, but controlled breath. His insistence on staying arms length away had been grating on her nerves. The school year was almost done and the one step she had been stuck on with her therapist was opening up a dialogue with Draco Malfoy. It wasn't for lack of trying, but she would have had an easier time ripping the portrait of Walburga off of Grimmauld Place wall, than get Draco to have an in depth conversation. "We've known each other since we were kids and we're co-Heads. We shouldn't have any more animosity between us."

Draco's grip on his broom and bag tightened, his knuckles turning white. He felt like she was toying with him and it drove him barmy to know that she had every right to. He did nothing as she was tortured on the drawing room floor of the Manor, so returning the cruel jokes he had done to her through years one through five only right in his eyes. He felt like he deserved an entire _chasm_ of animosity between them. "You said you wanted to talk to me?"

Her large brown eyes drifted lower so her gaze settled on his Nimbus 2000. "Can you teach me how to play Quidditch?"

Draco swallowed the wry grin that wanted to appear on his face. An old habit he had perfected on squashing once Voldemort had moved in. "There's books on it, Granger." He started to walk towards his room again, but the Gryffindor was not going to give up so easily.

"There is a difference between knowing the logistics and applying them."

"Then have Potter or Weasley help you _apply_ them. Or the other Weasley." Draco frowned at the fact he no longer had a way to differentiate Ron and Ginny without using their first names.

Hermione huffed and strode to his side of the common room, blocking his way. "The _other_ Weasley is why I'm asking." Hermione crossed her arms and looked up at him with what she hoped was pleading eyes. "Ginny cornered me into a bet for a one-on-one Quidditch match. Ron and Harry refuse to be involved for a similar reason," Hermione shook her head as she inhaled deeply once more, causing Draco to fight off a smile as he knew he wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of the two witches if he were them either. "You're the only person I could ask." That wasn't entirely true. Cormac McLaggen had offered up his services in private lessons as he had over heard the conversation, but it was more than apparent he was interested in payment for the coachings – and not in galleons.

"No." Draco circumvented her so he would step into the doorway of his room.

"What?"

"You asked me to teach you how to play Quidditch, and I said 'no.' That _is_ how a conversation works, Granger."

" _Okay_. Fair." She ground out. Her annoyance at his persistence on distance was turning into anger at his determination on not wanting to talk about the centaur in the common room. "But I didn't get the chance to tell you what you could get out of it."

He paused, his bag hanging from his fingertips as he looked over his shoulder at her. He dropped it completely before walking back to where she stood by his doorway, too respectful to have followed him in, although she knew he could easily slam the door on her. He looked down into her large brown eyes and took in her freckled face before speaking once more. "There's only one thing I want, and you won't give it to me."

"What's that?" Hermione's eyebrows knitted together as she searched his slate gray ones for any clue of what he wanted. All she saw was vulnerability – a single moment of openness he had shown her all year.

Draco opened his mouth. He wanted to be utilize the buried snark he had thrown around so easily in his youth, but he couldn't muster it. "A chance... At forgiveness." The second part was added after a breath. _Shit, I said too much._

He moved to close the door, but her foot stopped it with a _thud_ that made the door wobble on its hinges. She stepped forward, passing a boundary that was more than physical for the two young adults. "What if I told you that you had already earned that?" Her eager eyes watched every micro and macro expression on his face. "Teach me how to play one-on-one and I'll teach that it's okay? That _we're_ okay?"

Draco's breath caught in his throat then, but something – _something_ that not even Voldemort had been able to curse or hex away reappeared: _Hope._

"I think... I'd like that, Hermione."


	7. Fall Board / DFFR 2.0 prompt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Used another prompt that the wonderful Shamione has provided the DFFR 2.0 Facebook group.  
> This time the prompt was: Music.
> 
> I've had this scene stuck in my head for the longest time and I just now finally decided to use it. I hope you guys enjoy. It really was a nice way to ease myself into writing as I continue to fight off 'Rona brain.

_"Remember what I said would happen if you don't find a way to get us into Hogwarts, Draco." The Dark Lord had the young Slytherin by his neck, his windpipe on the verge of collapsing under the dark wizard's strong grip. "I'll kill your mother, your father, and then_ you _." With a thrust, Draco collapsed on to the floor. He felt cold all over, the only thing that was warm were the tears making tracks down his pale face, but he knew that no matter how he felt, the Dark Lords wishes were his command._

_"Yes, My Lord."_

The memory amongst others were the ones that was swimming in Draco's head at the moment. He was on the floor again, but he wasn't at the Manor, nor was he in the room of hidden things like he should have been. He was in another room that students could find solace in when they did not want to be found: The percussion music room. The door was hidden by a tapestry and when it was occupied, certain wards activated to keep others out. He found it to be a safe haven in his sixth year at Hogwarts.

Sometimes the weight of his tasks were physically crushing, and he couldn't make his way to the seventh floor so he could work on the cabinet. Even if he had forced his feet to keep moving upward to make it all the way to the highest level of the castle, he would end up sitting in front of the cabinet, entirely dazed and out of his head. He read a few mind healing books and it suggested that what he was experiencing was dissociation.

 _Utter bollocks. As if a Malfoy would succumb to such a mundane thing as_ dissociation.

The words he thought held little conviction. He was aware it didn't matter what he was going through. All Draco knew was that if he woke up in a bad head space, he had the habit of letting his feet carrying him to the music room hidden on the third floor so he could have a day to compartmentalize his emotions and occulemency walls so he could carry on. He was just in the middle of doing so when the door burst open and someone came rushing in.

Draco who was hidden behind the Piano in the percussion room ,and immediately cast a disillusionment charm on himself so he would no longer be visible. _What the hell -_ The sob that escaped the girl shook Draco to his core, not expecting the loud noise one bit. She was openly weeping over the piano as she flipped the fall board up. She took several breaths to try and regain her composure as she stared at the black and white keys. _Is she... going to play something?_ Draco sat up, crossing his legs beneath him. It was only when he did this that he recognized who was sitting on the piano bench.

It was Hermione Jean Granger, girl wonder who was crying in the same room with him.

"Stop crying. Stop crying. Stop crying."

Draco's mouth popped open. He had whispered the same thing to himself too many times this year.

Unlike when he tried to calm himself, she actually was able to stop after a few breaths. Angrily wiping at her splotchy cheeks, she took several deep breaths before she got into position for her to start playing. It was a simple tune, one Draco assumed to be muggle, but the chords almost seemed to ricochet within him. He thought that perhaps it was due to the fact he was sitting so close to the grand piano before he decided it didn't matter. He closed his eyes just as she started to sing:

" _I heard that you're settled down / That you found a girl and you're happy now / I heard that your dreams came true / Guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you._ "

Draco blinked several times. _Granger can fucking sing._ Even with her vocals partially spent from the heavy sobbing she had done, she sang better than most wizards and witches he knew. Her voice was powerful, and the fact that she was able to play the piano simultaneously impressed him.

" _Old friend, why are you so shy? / Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light / I hate to turn up out of the blue, uninvited / But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it / I had hoped you'd see my face / And that you'd be reminded that for me, it isn't over._ "

Something he had not felt in a long time started to bubble within his belly: It was concern. He thought himself incapable of feeling such an emotion as it had been drowned out by the overwhelming feelings of depression and anxiety. _Is she crying over someone else?_

" _Never mind, I'll find someone like you / I wish nothing but the best for you, too / 'Don't forget me,'_ " As if to answer his question, she fell apart again. " _I b-beg_ ," When she hit the wrong key, she threw her head into her hands, not caring about the keys digging into her elbows as she did so. The sound of anguish the piano made only emphasized the twisting in Draco's gut and he found himself unable to stand her sorrow anymore. Not because she was crying over something he now considered to be small problem – although matters of the heart _should_ have also been his biggest concern at their age – but because he knew she was crying over _Weasley_. One of her supposed best friends.

"Come off it, you can do better!"

"Ah!" Hermione let out a high pitched shriek as she stood up, knocking the piano bench down. She looked around the room wildly, the curls tied into a ponytail coiling in fear as she did so.

Draco got to his feet and cancelled out the disillusionment charm. If he wasn't hit with how awkward he just made it for the both of them, he would have laughed at how her eyes widened and her mouth fell.

"Malfoy? What –" She inhaled deeply as her nostrils flared with her staggered breath. "What are you doing here?"

 _Questions. Of course she had questions_ , but he wouldn't be able to give an honest answer to any of them. "Same as you, I reckon. Came here looking for peace and quiet." With a small flourish of his wand, he lifted the piano bench so it was standing on its legs.

"Right." The word was a whisper. Hermione looked at the bag she had abandoned on the floor and thought about leaving. It was embarrassing to be caught like _this_ , but she had a rotten day as is. Seeing Lavender and Ron having a snog in one of Hogwarts many alcoves had decidedly been her breaking point of the day. She had no where else to go. Usually the library was her safe space, but she wanted - no, _needed -_ to be loud. She needed to feel like she was heard even though she did not intend to have an audience. Music had always been her shelter before Hogwarts and she craved normalcy while the outside world dealt with the threat of Voldemort. With a resigned sigh, she looked over at Draco. He looked as if he lost more stone than he should have been able to afford and his eyes held dark circles beneath his nearly translucent skin. She had been planning a friendly approach – despite how Harry intended to interrogate Malfoy - and she figured the rare moment of civility that they were sharing in this room might have been her start. It wasn't easy being the Chosen One's best friend, as she learned to soon it was a full time job. "You haven't been yourself this year. Is it something you want to talk about?" Granger sat down at the bench again, but this time she started to play Liszt. Draco recognized the soft tune to be one of the composer's more 'tame' pieces: Un Sospiro.

Draco watched her play for a several seconds before he cocked his head to the side. "Aren't you supposed to carry the melody in your right hand?"

"Aren't supposed to answer a question when one is asked of you?"

"That was a weak retort."

"Not as weak as the ones you've been giving me all year." Granger didn't look up at him as her delicate fingers continued to race across the keys. "I usually look forward to the challenge your wit provides me."

 _Look forward?_ Draco's lips slightly parted and he started to think she had intentionally meant to admit such a thing until she glanced up at him. Her eyes conveyed what her mouth had not and he knew that the admission was a slip up. Draco sat at the end of the bench and she let her fingers stop playing as she scooted away from him. "Play with me?" For the first time in his life, he made a decision with reckless abandon. He chose to forget who she was, and most importantly who _he_ was. The only thing that he wanted in that second was to be able to live as if his hands were not stained with the blood of premeditated murder.

Hermione could feel her eyes widen once more, but before he could catch the look of utter surprise she pulled her shoulders back and faced the piano with palms at the ready. There were so many questions running through her head at the moment, but the fact that they had just entered a fragile understanding was palpable to her. If she wanted him to open up so she could prove to Harry that he wasn't a Death Eater, she would need to follow his lead.

Sitting on her left, he could feel her against his side and it was a comfort to him. _When was the last time I sat at a piano bench?_ _It was before the Dark Lord moved in._ While he and his mother were both classically trained and often were found playing together after tea, there was never the right time to play music anymore. Music was too _happy_ for him to associate it with quiet times at the Manor and he missed it.

With that epiphany, he knew the perfect song to guide Granger through. Draco placed his right hand over the middle keys, hoping that if she didn't know the song that she could at least improvise. When he moved to play the low notes, she placed her left hand beneath his right to take over the middle notes. Night by Ludovico Einaudi was a beautiful piece and she knew it well as he was one of her favorite composers.

They shared a sigh. His was one of relief that he could finally let go and pour himself into the rich low notes of the song. Through the tone he produced, he told her of his fear, the intense duress he thought he was suffocating in everyday. Draco learned how to offer up his strife instead of internalizing it so it could eat him alive. It was freedom.

And Hermione's sigh? She found herself providing an open ear and shoulder for him. She picked up on the painful melody he was playing and conveyed hope with her high notes. It was a promise of reassurance that past this bench, past their years of abhorrence for each other, she was willing to be his friend and confidant. It was peace.

When their performance was done, they did not speak. The silence that followed after their last note was played was just as loud as the melody they shared.

It was only after the creaking of Draco placing the fall board down that he allowed himself to speak. "Hermione?" His voice cracked and he hated himself for it. His vision became blurry with tears, but in his peripheral, he could see her hair bounce as she faced him. "Voldemort is living in my Manor."

He expected a gasp, or maybe even another scream, but instead he received a hug.

He received warmth.

It was music to his soul deprived soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Un Sospiro means 'A Sigh' in Italian. Listen to the song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L42sbnQxEmw
> 
> Night by Ludovico Einaudi could be played by one person, but I based Draco's and Hermione's performance of this version of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBB6vMCfB-E


	8. Unicorn Hair / DFFR 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DFFR 2.0 Prompt: "Maybe sometimes people did not actually change. Maybe you just never knew who they really were."
> 
> Thank you, Shamione!

Draco had to hand it to Hermione. She knew how to slap a bloke in to next week when she needed to. That didn't mean he was going to lie down and take it though.

When she pulled her arm back for another slap, he grabbed her hand and used her shock to pull her into an alcove at Hogwarts, pinning both of her hands above her head.

"My clothes have enough dirt on them with out your filthy -" she swung a leg at him in an attempt to get him off of her, but it hardly did any damage as it had not occurred to her that she should arm for his shins instead. "Hands on me!"

"Cute insult. Wonder who you got that one from."

"Let go!" When he didn't, she took a large gulp of air in, ready to scream her throat raw for help, but he quickly pinned her small wrists in one hand and put his other hand over her mouth.

"Not until you listen to what I have to say! I'm trying to apologize, dammit." She stopped trying to yell for help then. She was staring at him now in a similar manner that they had all of sixth year in secret: with passion.

Except it was a different type of passion. People had the habit of forgetting that passion was like a coin; one side held the deep, carnal, pleasures that everyone sought out, while the other held loathing, vehemence, and things that fueled wars.

Their sixth year was filled with love, but their eighth year was currently filled with hate. Draco sought to fix that.

Draco was caught in her scent and he hoped that she was caught in his, too. This was the closest they had been in so long. He thought that being back at Hogwarts with her would quell his longing for her, but it only intensified it. Seeing her everyday eased his nerves in knowing she was safe, but the fact that she wanted nothing more to do with him, drove him barmy.

They had been in love, hadn't they?

"Hermione," He was pleading now, and had to close his eyes to keep the last bit of emotional strength he had gathered. "You need to know that everything I did, I did for you."

She roared against his hand at that and he closed his eyes. Shadows of nightmares lived behind his eyelids though and he quickly reopened them. She started to shake her head back and forth as she kicked a leg and he was reminded of her on the floor of the manor at Easter. Panic felt like a cold flash on his hot skin and he jumped back, but not before disarming her.

"Give me back my wand!"

"Not until you hear what I have to say!" A distant voice in Draco's head hissed at the fact he let his voice sound like that in front of anyone, but he didn't care. He felt he had waited and put up with her distancing herself from him long enough. He knew how he looked playing as Voldemort's pawn and keeping it from her their entire relationship, but he wanted to fight for her – for them. "Can we please just talk about what had happened? Just once and I'll - I'll return your wand." _But I won't stop chasing you if you refuse to believe me._

Draco knew Hermione well enough he was making some headway into opening up a dialogue between them. She crossed her arms and slid her weight on to one leg. It was a step down from her attacking him. "What is there to talk about? You lied to me the entire time I -" Hermione stopped, her mouth still open as she took in a haggard breath. "I forgave you and you just _used_ me while you worked on that bloody cabinet to let Death Eaters into Hogwarts! You watched me get tortured by your aunt -"

"She would have murdered you if I said I knew you! Just like she would have if I tried to intervene. Am I supposed to just let everyone I love die? Because she wouldn't have stopped with you."

Hermione blinked several times. He never said he loved her before. They stared at each other in silence, their heartbeats being the only thing filling their ears, until she shook her head. "You're just trying to get in my head again, give me my wand." She was no longer yelling at him now as she held her hand out for her wand. "You're full of shit then and you're full of shit now, Draco. I thought you changed."

 _Draco_. He was worried he would never hear his given name come from her lips again. She made it a point to call him Malfoy all year, throwing the surname in his face like it was a wicked malediction. "No." He took a step back and put both his new wand and her wand behind him. He was still getting used to the new wand, but he easily felt it become a part of him like his last wand – with good reason to if the core was any indication. "I'm not full of shit. I did what I needed to make sure my family and you survive. I didn't want anyone to – to die," he forced himself to say the word as he thought of Dumbledore, even though it made him wince. "And that is my fault. I would never try to get out of taking responsibility for that, but you have to believe me when I said I did everything I could." Draco swallowed. "I kept you in the dark sixth year because the Dark – Voldemort – was a gifted legilimens. If he saw I divulged any of his plans to you, he would have made you a priority." Draco's pale eyes fell on her and he could see her turning the information over in her head. "I did what I could during the summer and winter to hold off the Death Eaters. There were so many times we had to hunt you – and with Greyblack, we were so close to discovering your campsites – but I always lead them on another trail. Then you ended up at the manor -"

"And you lied to everyone." Hermione's eyes fell on to the ground. He wanted nothing more to pull her in, to comfort her and let them both cry over the war, but he was more than aware of how fragile her willingness to listen to him was right now. "Is that all? You just wanted to keep me alive so I could help Harry defeat him?"

His eyebrows came together, unsure of what she was asking until it clicked. "Everything between us was real. It's you - it's _always_ been you." Draco watched as she ran a shaky hand over her hair, a habit she started in second year when is bullying had been the worst. "Do you remember finding the information on the Basilisk? Second Year?"

"Yes?" Her voice was hesitant, but much less hostile than it had been over ten minutes ago when they were having a screaming match in the deserted corridor.

"It was in a book you had fell asleep on, one about Sphinxes. It was obviously torn out of another book and -"

"And slipped into the pages." Hermione pressed a hand to her face, putting together what Draco was saying. _He_ was the one who gave the information on the Basilisk. She would have never found it otherwise.

"Maybe sometimes people don't actually change. Maybe you just never knew who they really were. There was a lot of things I could never tell you, but that didn't mean that I didn't want to." Draco stepped forward and pressed her wand into her free hand, but didn't let go as her fingers curled around it. He held her fist over his heart. "And I could tell you now, if you'd let me." Her eyes were watering and a tear slipped out, he dared to wipe it away. "Please let me, Hermione. I love you."

In that moment, Hermione abandoned all inhibitions and pulled Draco down by the back of his neck, pulling him into a kiss she had ached for since she made the decision to hunt for fragmented souls of a mad man, while trying to forget Draco ever had one. When she let him go so they could breathe, she gave him her answer: "I love you, too."


	9. WAP, WAP, WAP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny and Hermione show Remus Cardi B's song, WAP.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's all pretend the war didn't happen in this one and our music was sent back in time

" _I want you to touch that lil' dangly thing that swing in the back of my throat._ "

"That's called a Uvula." Remus winced at the crass lyrics the Muggle rapper had announced with vigor. Hermione and Ginny burst in to laughter at the disgusted face he made. Ginny had already been trying to suppress her girlish giggle – much like she had when she insisted on showing Hermione this song – while Hermione tried not apologize over the music for allowing Ginny to show him the crass song. "Hermione, that's called a uvula." He looked at Hermione with pained eyes, almost begging that she reassure him he was not the only one aware of this information.

Hermione wiped away a stray tear as she slowed her laughter down enough for her to get a few words out. "My parents are dentists, Remus, I know what a uvula is."

Remus nodded as Ginny doubled over, gripping her sides and hardly breathing. "I - Can't -"

" _Your honor, I'm a freak bitch, handcuffs, leashes / Switch my wig, make him feel like he cheating_."

"Have you two shown Sirius this? He'd get a kick out of it, I'm sure."

Hermione glanced at Ginny who was finally trying to stop, but was still in a state she could not meet the gaze of her two friends, lest she descend into a fit of laughter again.

"I think she plans on cornering everyone she knows one by one to get maximum shock." Hermione waved a hand. "I'm sure he's next."

Remus smiled at that, reminiscent of the days as a Marauder at Hogwarts . "I appreciate being given the chance to prepare myself for when my flatmate starts randomly chanting 'There's some whores in this house.'" Hermione and Ginny laughed at that once more and had almost regained their composure completely until one of the last lyrics came through the small speaker:

" _Macaroni in a pot / That's some wet-ass pussy, huh._ "

Even Remus could not maintain his detached demeanor, as he let his Welsh tongue take over from the surprise he felt. " _Coc y gath_!"

Sirius found the three of them in Grimmauld Place's living room, tear streaks on everyone's faces. He frowned at the sight, wondering what could have been so funny. "What's going on here?"

The girls looked up at Sirius then glanced at each other, grinning, but it was Remus who answered. "Mate, come 'ere. You've got to hear this."

**Author's Note:**

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